We at Anchorvale CC Toastmasters Club were about to be transported to the most magical land with our Wizard of Oz Speaker, Thomas Chen, EC3, Entrepreneur and Coach who hails from Pasirisians Toastmasters Club.
We were promised that it would be a lesson to captivate. A lesson to remember. A lesson in storytelling mastery. We have heard plenty about Thomas Chen and were eagerly looking forward to being mesmerised.
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| Storytelling by Thomas Chen: the equivalent of completing the advanced manual |
Thomas began by asking the audience members to share what they thought storytelling is. There are so many definitions of it. Sharing experiences, inspiring people, recollecting events, communicating a message, teaching a lesson. All of it is true. Therefore, storytelling is so powerful because it can profoundly influence and capture anyone.
Thomas shared how storytelling is used everywhere in our lives, from work, school, business, socialising. Storytelling brings us on a journey of discovery.
Thomas used the example of Pokemon. Why has it survived multiple generations? It is built on story telling. There is a progression of how the main character went on a journey as a beginner trainer to a Pokemon Master. People are enthralled by that and keep returning for more.
Storytelling is not just used to entertain; storytelling has created billions of dollars in sales. Thomas gave examples such as Nike using the story of Lebron James’ humble background to drive sales by telling how they can transform anyone into superstars if they work hard. Or how Russell Brunson closed 3 million-dollar deals in his technical presentations using stories.
Thomas highlighted how storytelling is more effective if you tell stories which make the audience feel like you (the speaker) are like them (the audience). This is because it promotes relatability and connects the speaker and audience. Hence, for our members who are planning to tell stories soon, do remember to make it as relatable as possible.
Thomas explained clearly about the structure we must have in our stories. The 5 C-s.
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Context |
Where it all began. 5Ws and 1 H. As much description as possible. |
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Catalyst |
What caused a change? The trigger? |
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Consequences |
What happened after the change or the trigger? |
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Change |
Enlightenment. The process of learning or improving. |
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Call to Action |
Main message, the call to action, the main lesson. |
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| Components of an impactful story: the dramatic journey |
To create a story, we need to have the end in mind which is the main message. This is highly crucial as this would allow us to create content that supports the main message. Without a main message in mind, we would write / tell stories that have no direction and ultimately will not convey a message / call to action.
Stories can be knowledge, personal experiences, observations, or popular references. Hence, there are endless possibilities of stories to create. Thomas shared examples of past World Champions of Public Speaking such as Darren Tay or Mohammed Qahtani. They had colorful stories which captivated the audience and a clear message at the end.
Thomas provided some tips to create richer stories such as using more descriptions, having dialogues, or showing emotions of the characters.
Some of the best speeches were rehearsed and refined a million times. This is what we should do if we wish to tell a great story. What we prepared the first time, would have been edited, fixed and finally we would have a work of art that would have been quite different from the first draft.
When we test our stories, we need to ask if the audience could relate to it, understand it, visualise our content, feel emotions, and be engaged? If the answers are all yes, then you have a story that will capture hearts and be remembered.
Just when we thought we had learnt the perfect recipe to crafting a beautiful story, Thomas had more tips and tricks rolled up his sleeves, much to our delight.
He told us something simple but easily forgotten. We must know who our audience is if our stories are to resonate with them. There is no point telling a group of children stories about how you survived a financial crisis. It is not something that would stir emotions within them.
It is also important to have hooks in our stories. These would keep the audience engaged such as moments of suspense, surprise, or stirring emotions. Other hooks would be asking questions, having activities, or maintaining eye contact.
Additionally, having a vivid and descriptive vocabulary would clearly help the audience visualise your story. However, it is important to note that having a vivid vocabulary does not mean having huge bombastic words. There are simple yet powerful words that can be extremely descriptive. One example is instead of saying unconventional, use unique. For more words you can play around with, you can visit https://www.synonym.com/ and learn more words to use.
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| Simplify to Amplify |
Thomas even touched on the use of props. We should question its necessity by asking if the story has a similar impact without the prop. If your answer is yes, then forget the props. Just remember how Darren Tay used his white underwear in his world championship winning speech. It was essential; it brought the audience into his world and his feelings. The impact of his speech would have been quite different without the underwear.
Thomas concluded by urging us to maintain a story bank. Sometimes, moments of inspiration strike us at the most unusual times. It would be good if we maintained a record of these stories somewhere, perhaps in google drive on a doc or writing on a notepad. We might never know when we can use our stories as teachable moments, to build relationships or to create a million-dollar opportunity.
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| Each and everyone of us has riches of stories |
Thomas shared all the above without rushing and in such an easy to understand format. I believe our members have benefitted greatly from his masterclass. Thank you, Thomas, for being so sincere and generous with your knowledge.
Thomas mentioned that he has a wish that we should all pass on something we have learned to someone else. It is quite incredible that Thomas has passed on a bucket full of valuable knowledge to so many of us. Hopefully, we can all transform our stories and help others tell better stories with the resources that Thomas has given us.
Written by Salma Begum, ACB, ALB
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